Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Yinru: Hi everyone, I’m Yinru.
Yuriy: And I’m Yuriy. Welcome back to ChineseClass101.com. This is Lower intermediate Season 2, Lesson 21. What's In This Mystery Package from China?
Yinru: In the last lesson, Liu and Tom came up with the idea of giving Liu’s cousin a birthday surprise.
Yuriy: They’re going to get her a birthday cake, but how will they give it to her?
Yinru: We don’t know yet! Liu’s cousin, whose family name is Wang, is receiving a package from a delivery man at her apartment. What’s in it? Could it be from Liu?
Yuriy: Let’s wait and see. Since the two speakers don’t know each other, and the delivery man is providing a service, they’ll be speaking formally. Let’s listen to the conversation.

Lesson conversation

快递哥: 你好。王洁的包裹。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : nǐhǎo. Wáng Jié de bāoguǒ.)
王: 给我的?我没有在网上买东西啊。(WÁNG : gěi wǒ de? wǒ méiyǒu zài wǎngshàng mǎi dōngxi ā.)
快递哥: 这个确实是给你的。请在这里签字。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : zhège quèshí shì gěi nǐ de. qǐng zài zhèlǐ qiānzì.)
王: 好吧。(WÁNG : hǎoba.)
快递哥:谢谢。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : xièxie.)
王:等一下,里面到底是什么?(WÁNG : děng yìxià, lǐmiàn dàodǐ shì shénme?)
快递哥:不好意思,这个我们也不知道。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : bùhǎoyìsi, zhège wǒmen yě bù zhīdào.)
王:好吧。我自己打开看看好了。(WÁNG : hǎo ba. wǒ zìjǐ dǎkāi kànkan hǎo le.)
Yuriy: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.
快递哥: 你好。王洁的包裹。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : nǐhǎo. Wáng Jié de bāoguǒ.)
王: 给我的?我没有在网上买东西啊。(WÁNG : gěi wǒ de? wǒ méiyǒu zài wǎngshàng mǎi dōngxi ā.)
快递哥: 这个确实是给你的。请在这里签字。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : zhège quèshí shì gěi nǐ de. qǐng zài zhèlǐ qiānzì.)
王: 好吧。(WÁNG : hǎoba.)
快递哥:谢谢。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : xièxie.)
王:等一下,里面到底是什么?(WÁNG : děng yìxià, lǐmiàn dàodǐ shì shénme?)
快递哥:不好意思,这个我们也不知道。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : bùhǎoyìsi, zhège wǒmen yě bù zhīdào.)
王:好吧。我自己打开看看好了。(WÁNG : hǎo ba. wǒ zìjǐ dǎkāi kànkan hǎo le.)
Yuriy: Now let’s hear it with the English translation.
快递哥: 你好。王洁的包裹。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : nǐhǎo. Wáng Jié de bāoguǒ.)
Yuriy: Excuse me. This is a package for Wang Jie.
王: 给我的?我没有在网上买东西啊。(WÁNG : gěi wǒ de? wǒ méiyǒu zài wǎngshàng mǎi dōngxi ā.)
Yuriy: For me? I didn't buy anything online.
快递哥: 这个确实是给你的。请在这里签字。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : zhège quèshí shì gěi nǐ de. qǐng zài zhèlǐ qiānzì.)
Yuriy: This is for you. Please sign here.
王: 好吧。(WÁNG : hǎoba.)
Yuriy: Okay.
快递哥:谢谢。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : xièxie.)
Yuriy: Thanks.
王:等一下,里面到底是什么?(WÁNG : děng yìxià, lǐmiàn dàodǐ shì shénme?)
Yuriy: Wait, what’s inside the box?
快递哥:不好意思,这个我们也不知道。(KUÀIDÌ GĒ : bùhǎoyìsi, zhège wǒmen yě bù zhīdào.)
Yuriy: Sorry, we don't know either.
王:好吧。我自己打开看看好了。(WÁNG : hǎo ba. wǒ zìjǐ dǎkāi kànkan hǎo le.)
Yuriy: Okay. I'll open it myself and find out then.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Yinru: My mother is a big fan of online shopping. She loves buying things on the Internet!
Yuriy: Is online shopping really popular in China?
Yinru: It is! If you’re living in China, and you want to shop online, here are a couple of trustworthy websites I’d like to recommend.
Yuriy: Listeners, pay attention!
Yinru: The largest, most famous and most frequently visited site is 淘宝(Táobǎo). It’s been around for four years and the name literally means “to dig for treasures.”
Yuriy: Is it like eBay, where customers sell to other customers, or like Amazon, where businesses sell to customers?
Yinru: Well, it’s kind of like both. The original site for 淘宝(Táobǎo) used a customer-to-customer model. Later on, 淘宝 (Táobǎo)launched a site called 淘宝商城(Táobǎo shāngchéng), and on this one, products are sold by businesses.
Yuriy: Okay, so there’s a choice.
Yinru: That's right. And another popular site is 当当(Dāngdāng), which is the biggest online bookstore in China.
Yuriy: Can you only buy books there?
Yinru: Not really, they also sell audio books, video products, appliances, and clothes.
Yuriy: But it’s most famous for its books.
Yinru: That’s right. And another one similar to 当当(Dāngdāng) is its competitor 卓越亚马逊(Zhuóyuè yàmǎxùn)
Yuriy: Does that one have anything to do with the Amazon company based in the US?
Yinru: It does - the Chinese company Joyo was acquired by Amazon in 2004.
Yuriy: So when you need to buy a book, you can also go to their website?
Yinru: Exactly. And last but not least, we have 京东商城(Jīngdōng shāngchéng), also known as 360Buy. This online business is growing rapidly and is considered an alternative to 淘宝 (Táobǎo)by many online shoppers in China.
Yuriy: Is there anything in particular that people like to buy on 360Buy?
Yinru: Their appliances and electronics are popular because of the good delivery service and the reliability of their products.
Yuriy: Okay, those were some good tips, listeners. Now let's move onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
Yuriy: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
: The first word we shall see is:
Yinru: 包裹 (Bāoguǒ)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: package
Yinru: 包裹 (Bāoguǒ)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 包裹 (Bāoguǒ)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 网上 (Wǎngshàng)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: on the Internet
Yinru: 网上 (Wǎngshàng)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 网上 (Wǎngshàng)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 买东西 (Mǎi dōngxī)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: to shop, to buy something
Yinru: 买东西 (Mǎi dōngxī)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 买东西 (Mǎi dōngxī)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 确实 (Quèshí)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: indeed
Yinru: 确实 (Quèshí)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 确实 (Quèshí)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 签字 (Qiānzì)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: to sign
Yinru: 签字 (Qiānzì)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 签字 (Qiānzì)[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 到底 (Dàodǐ)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: after all
Yinru: 到底 (Dàodǐ[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 到底 (Dàodǐ[natural native speed]
: Next:
Yinru: 自己 (Zìjǐ)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: oneself
Yinru: 自己 (Zìjǐ)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 自己 (Zìjǐ)[natural native speed]
: And Last:
Yinru: 好了 (Hǎole)[natural native speed]
Yuriy: then
Yinru: 好了 (Hǎole)[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Yinru: 好了 (Hǎole)[natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Yuriy: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
Yinru: Our first key vocabulary word is 确实(Quèshí), meaning “indeed” or “certainly.”
Yuriy: It’s an adverb you use to emphasize a fact, and you place it after the subject in a sentence.
Yinru: It's used in both formal and informal language.
Yuriy: Let’s look at some sample sentences.
Yinru: 今天确实是很热.(Jīntiān quèshí shì hěn rè.)
Yuriy: “Today is indeed very hot.”
Yinru: 没错, 我确实不太喜欢他.(Méi cuò, wǒ quèshí bù tài xǐhuān tā.)
Yuriy: “That’s right. I truly don’t like him.”
Yinru: 你这样和老板说话确实有点不礼貌.(Nǐ zhèyàng hé lǎobǎn shuōhuà quèshí yǒudiǎn bù lǐmào.)
Yuriy: “Your talking to the boss like that was really a bit rude.”
Yinru: The second word is also an adverb used for emphasis. It’s 到底(Dàodǐ).
Yuriy: This means “after all” or “what on earth.” Using that word can demonstrate strong emotion.
Yinru: 到底 (Dàodǐ)is often used in informal situations.
Yuriy: Here are some examples.
Yinru: 你到底是去还是不去? (Nǐ dàodǐ shì qù háishì bù qù?)
Yuriy: “Are you going after all or not?”
Yinru: 这到底是怎么回事? (Zhè dàodǐ shì zěnme huí shì?)
Yuriy: “What the heck is the matter with this?”
Yinru: 你说清楚, 到底是一点还是七点?(Nǐ shuō qīngchǔ, dàodǐ shì yīdiǎn háishì qī diǎn?)
Yuriy: “You make it clear; is it one o’clock or seven o’clock?” Okay, now onto the grammar.

Lesson focus

Yuriy: In this lesson, you'll learn how to use...
Yinru: : 好了(Hǎole), when it’s at the end of a sentence.
Yuriy: It means “if so-and-so” or “it would be better.”
Yinru: As we know, 好(Hǎo) means “good,” and 了(Le) indicates a change of state, so 好 (Hǎo)and 了(Le)together mean “it would be better if.”
Yuriy: This is used mostly in daily conversation to make a suggestion. Let’s take a look at some sample sentences.
Yinru: 你没时间的话, 就不要来好了。(Nǐ méi shíjiān dehuà, jiù bùyào lái hǎole.)
Yuriy: “If you don’t have time, then don’t come.”
Yinru: 你喜欢就送你好了.(Nǐ xǐhuān jiù sòng nǐ hǎole.)
Yuriy: “If you like it, I’ll give it to you.”
Yinru: 你这么不舒服, 不要去上班好了.(Nǐ zhème bú shūfú, bùyào qùshàngbānhǎole.)
Yuriy: “You’re feeling so uncomfortable; don’t go to work.”
Yinru: You may see 还是 (Háishì)being used with 好了(Hǎole), making the sentence pattern 还是...好了(Háishì... Hǎole).
Yuriy: In Lesson 19, we learned a similar pattern.
Yinru: Yes, we learned 还是...吧(Háishì... Ba). 还是...吧(Háishì... Ba) and 还是...好了 (Háishì... Hǎole)are interchangeable.
Yuriy: These phrases both indicate that “it would be better to do [something] after considering all the alternatives.”
Yinru: For example, 这是他们两个人的约会, 我还是不要去好了(Zhè shì tāmen liǎng gèrén de yuēhuì, wǒ háishì bùyào qù hǎole).
Yuriy: “It’s a date between them, so I’d better not go.”
Yinru: 我开车来的, 还是喝饮料好了.(Wǒ kāichē lái de, háishì hē yǐnliào hǎole.)
Yuriy: “I drove here, so I should just drink non-alcoholic drinks.”
Yinru: 只有三天假期, 还是去香港好了, 不去美国了.(Zhǐyǒu sān tiān jiàqī, háishì qù xiānggǎng hǎole, bù qù měiguóle.)
Yuriy: “We’ve only got three days off, so let’s just go to Hong Kong instead of to the US.” And in our conversation, after realizing she can’t find out what’s in the box without opening it, Wang decides that she’d better open it herself.
Yinru: That’s why she uses 我还是自己打开看看好了(Wǒ háishì zìjǐ dǎkāi kàn kànhǎole).
Yuriy: So what do you think? Who’s the package from, and what’s in it?
Yinru: Well, I’m pretty sure this box is from her cousin Liu. Because she was planning with Tom on giving Wang a birthday surprise, right?
Yuriy: Yeah, I think it’s possible. If I were her, it would kill me not knowing who sent this.
Yinru: 真的吗?(Zhēn de ma?) Really? All right, let’s leave this mystery to our listeners to solve!

Outro

Yuriy: All right. Well, that's all for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone, and we'll see you next time. Bye!
Yinru: 再见.(Zàijiàn.)

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